Senior Associate, Videographer & Photography

Thanks for your interest in Success Academy! Running a large, fast-growing, and high-performing network of public charter schools takes a village - families, children, teachers, staff and faculty, advocates, and supporters alike. We are growing fast in New York and expanding to Florida, and we would love to welcome you to our community! We work tirelessly every day to ensure children have access to a fun, rigorous, whole-child education regardless of zip code or economic status.

When you join SA, you play a part in giving every student who walks through our doors a fair shot at reaching his or her potential.

The Senior Associate is a de facto Director of Photography (DoP) and senior visual storyteller responsible for translating brand, narrative, and creative strategies into compelling photo and video content. This role leads the visual execution of Success Academy's in-house productions—from concept development and pre-production planning through production and post-production collaboration. Working across both photography and video production, the DoP is responsible for establishing the visual approach for each project while ensuring all creative work maintains Success Academy's brand standards and continues to elevate the quality of our visual storytelling.

With expertise in cinematography, photography, lighting, composition, and production planning, this individual partners closely with producers, creatives, editors, and stakeholders to bring projects from concept through delivery.

This position requires an experienced creative professional who can work independently with minimal supervision, solve production challenges, and guide others across functions and disciplines. The DoP will act as a resource and subject matter expert for the broader Creative Agency team, including supporting and mentoring junior visual specialists.

The Senior Associate reports to the Leader, Photo and Video at the SA Creative Agency.

• Lead the development of visual concepts and cinematography strategies for all video and photography productions.

• Collaborate with the Creative, Editorial, and Strategic teams to translate scripts and creative briefs into visual executions aligned with brand goals.

• Partner with producers during project planning to develop visual approaches, treatments, mood boards, look books, shot lists, and production plans.

• Participate in creative brief reviews, kickoff meetings, and production planning discussions to shape visual strategy from project inception.

• Make recommendations on visual treatments, lighting setups, framing, camera movement, and overall production approach to support storytelling objectives.

• Continuously identify opportunities to elevate the team's creative output while maintaining Success Academy's established visual identity and brand standards.

• Establish and maintain consistent visual style guides for recurring series, initiatives, and content packages.

• Take ownership of assigned productions from concept through final delivery, proactively identifying challenges, proposing creative solutions, and ensuring projects meet creative, brand, and timeline expectations.

• Lead all pre-production planning, including equipment preparation, location planning, talent considerations, production logistics, and shoot readiness.

• Scout, plan, and prepare for location and studio shoots, ensuring logistical feasibility and high production value.

• Partner closely with producers throughout production to ensure creative vision, schedules, and stakeholder expectations remain aligned.

• Lead on-set direction of photography, including lighting, camera configuration, composition, and overall visual execution.

• Capture both video and photography assets based on project needs.

• Serve as both a hands-on camera operator and on-set team leader, as needed.

• Maintain a professional, executive-level presence while working with school leaders, executives, talent, and external partners.

• Partner with the Post Production Manager to ensure footage quality, continuity, and storytelling integrity from production through edit.

• Manage and maintain camera gear, lighting equipment, and production resources.

• Manage production media, including file organization, backups, archival workflows, and handoff to post-production.

• Prepare projects for post-production by organizing footage, ordering interview transcripts, and ensuring production assets are properly documented.

• Perform editing, color correction, and finishing as needed to support production timelines.

• Recommend technology updates and workflow optimizations based on emerging industry standards.

• Leverage emerging AI-powered creative and production tools to improve workflow efficiency and enhance creative output.

• Troubleshoot technical issues during productions and elevate complex challenges when appropriate.

• Provide visual guidance and training to junior team members, editors, and other…